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David Magallanes
By David Magallanes • Guest contributor
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Just go with the flow.” It conjures images of floating along the river of time that pervades our existence, gives us form, brings us into the world and just as gracefully takes us back out.
But now, suddenly, everyone on the planet is being tested. A virus has stopped all of us in our collective tracks. Can we “trust” the flow, as the cited catchphrase encourages us to do? The uncertainty facing all of our futures is daunting. We normally have some measure of control, despite the random nature of events that occur in our lives. In the face of a massively abrupt interruption of all of our plans and efforts, it seems as if we are unanticipatedly thrust into the arms of a fickle universe that will tilt its hand one way or another, depending on its mood.
“Going with the flow” might mean having to give up what we’ve done all our lives, or were preparing or planning to do with the rest of our lives. That our lives have been upended this way must imply a lesson somewhere. Instantly, the admonition to “live in the moment” makes a lot more sense than when we thought we had a handle on our futures.
In hindsight, maybe we should have “savored the moment” more often, as opposed to having taken those splendorous points in our lives for granted. At this time, we just don’t know what we may have lost forever, invoking the spirit of John Milton’s epic poem from the seventeenth century, “Paradise Lost.” On the other hand, neither do we know what grand opportunities may lie ahead.
— David Magallanes is a retired college math educator.
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Dura Lección Sobre ‘La Corriente’
Por David Magallanes • Columnista invitado
Todos hemos escuchado la frase, “Simplemente sigue la corriente”. Evoca imágenes de flotar a lo largo del río del tiempo que impregna nuestra existencia, nos da forma, nos trae al mundo y con la misma gracia nos saca de regreso.
Pero ahora, de repente, todos en el planeta nos encontramos retados. Un virus de repente nos ha detenido abruptamente a todos. ¿Podemos “confiar” en este flujo, como la frase citada nos anima a hacer? La incertidumbre que enfrenta nuestro futuro es desalentadora. Normalmente tenemos alguna medida de control, a pesar de la naturaleza aleatoria de los eventos que ocurren en nuestras vidas. Ante una interrupción masiva y abrupta de todos nuestros planes y esfuerzos, parece como si nos hubiéramos sido empujados inesperadamente a los brazos de un universo voluble que inclinará su mano de una forma u otra, dependiendo de su estado de ánimo.
“Seguir la corriente” podría significar tener que renunciar a lo que hemos hecho toda nuestra vida, o que estábamos preparando o planeando hacer con el resto de nuestras vidas. Que nuestras vidas se han volcado de esta manera debe implicar alguna lección de por medio. Instantáneamente, la advertencia “vivir el momento” tiene mucho más sentido que cuando pensábamos que teníamos control sobre nuestro futuro.
En retrospectiva, tal vez deberíamos haber “saboreado el momento” con más frecuencia, en lugar de haber dado por sentado esos momentos esplendorosos en nuestras vidas. Ahora simplemente no reconocemos lo que hayamos perdido para siempre, invocando el espíritu del poema épico de John Milton del siglo XVII, “Paradise Lost” (“El Paraíso Perdido”). Por otro lado, tampoco sabemos cuáles son las grandes oportunidades que nos esperan.
– – David Magallanes es un profesor de matemáticas jubilado.
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